1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to shipping and display boxes and, more particularly, to shipping and display boxes for fresh products such as asparagus.
2. State of the Art
The market for fresh products such as asparagus is widespread, and produce grown in areas such as California finds a market in distant areas such as the Eastern United States as well as in Europe. Produce such as fresh asparagus requires special handling techniques prior to and during shipment to maintain freshness. Typically, fresh asparagus is packed upright, with the bottom ends of the asparagus facing downward and the delicate tips facing upward to prevent damage. An absorbent pad is placed in the bottom of a packing container and is soaked with water for keeping the asparagus moist during transport.
Asparagus, will continue to grow in the packing containers unless it is kept below 60 degrees F. Accordingly, it is common to "hydro-cool" asparagus prior to shipping and to refrigerate the asparagus prior to and during shipping to maintain freshness and prevent growth. In hydro-cooling, the asparagus is soaked with cold water, usually between 34 and 40 degrees F., and the packed asparagus is then taken to a cold room, which is approximately 35 degrees F., before it is shipped in a refrigerated truck. The low temperatures prevent growth of the packed asparagus. Further, it is desirable to provide ample ventilation and water drainage of the asparagus in the packing containers to prevent rot and deterioration.
Such treatment of asparagus has required that the asparagus be shipped in packing containers that are waterproof. Because of the need to soak the packing containers with water in the hydro-cooler prior to and sometimes after transportation, prior corrugated paper or cardboard packing containers have generally not permitted containers on pallets more than one layer high, in part because water in the hydro-cooler is unable to reach the packing containers at the bottom of the pallet and containers within the center of the pallet stack. Further, even where it is possible to stack packing containers on top of one another, the packing containers tend to slide around relative to one another during transportation, usually because of the slick material, such as wax, used to waterproof the material forming the container. The sliding of the packing containers risks damage to the packed products. It is desirable to provide a waterproof packing container for shipping of fresh products that is able to provide for hydro-cooling of multiple stacks of packing containers, that offers sufficient ventilation and water drainage to the packed products to prevent the formation of rot and deterioration, that prevents relative movement of stacked packing containers during transportation, and that is able to withstand the force of multiple packed packing containers stacked on top of each other, and the impact forces due to transportation.
Most known packing containers for shipping fresh produce such as asparagus are formed by using staples and straps to hold the walls together. When the packing container reaches its destination, the merchant must generally destroy the packing container to remove the packed products. Further, the use of staples or straps to assemble the packing container is undesirable, at least because of the cost of fasteners, cost of labor to assemble with fasteners, and the cost to maintain the fastener equipment. Some packing containers, such as the shipping and display container shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,829 to Merrill, offer the advantage of permitting a front and top wall of the packing container to be folded back to permit viewing and removal of the packed products. That packing container, however, relies on staples or other fastening means for assembly. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a packing container that is adapted both for shipping and display of the packed product, and that does not require fasteners for its assembly.
Shipping and display boxes for fresh produce such as asparagus have, in the past, generally been manufactured from corrugated paper or cardboard. When the boxes are formed, they are passed through a shower of wax that provides some degree of water repellency. However, it is difficult to recycle the waxed corrugated paper or cardboard boxes. Further, the waxed corrugated paper or cardboard boxes tend to eventually absorb water and weaken. It is, accordingly, desirable to provide a readily recyclable shipping and display box that does not weaken appreciably when constantly soaked with water, such as during normal transport of hydro-cooled asparagus.